# The USMLE Micro Resources Tier List

> USMLE microbiology resources tier list: Sketchy Micro (S), Mehlman micro (A), Dirty Medicine micro and First Aid with the FA Guide MCQs (B), Boards & Beyond, Pixorize and AJmonics (C), Ninja Nerd (D), Kaplan (F).

URL: https://drmarishasudani.com/tier-list-micro
Canonical: https://drmarishasudani.com/tier-list-micro

## Questions this guide answers

- **What is the best resource for USMLE microbiology?** Sketchy Micro is S tier: for micro, nothing else comes close. Mehlman micro is A. Dirty Medicine micro and the First Aid micro pages with the FA Guide MCQs are B. Boards & Beyond, Pixorize and AJmonics micro are C. Ninja Nerd micro is D, and Kaplan is F.

## Page text

USMLE Vault · Step 1 · Tier list 4 of 6
The USMLE microbiology tier list
For IMGs drowning in bugs: the 1 resource that makes them stick, and what to skip.
By Dr. Marish Asudani · Published 26 October 2026
What is the best resource for USMLE microbiology?
Sketchy Micro is S tier : for micro, nothing else comes close. Mehlman micro is A. Dirty Medicine micro and the First Aid micro pages with the FA Guide MCQs are B. Boards & Beyond, Pixorize and AJmonics micro are C. Ninja Nerd micro is D, and Kaplan is F.
Read this first Boards & Beyond, Kaplan, Sketchy, Pixorize, First Aid, and the free playlists. Micro is pure volume: dozens of bugs that blur together. The resource that wins is the one that makes them stick.
Every name below opens it. Here is how to read the tiers:
S In my stack. Use it fully.
A The best for a specific job.
B Useful in one situation.
C Good in places, but the wrong anchor, or a slot that's already filled.
D A bad trade for your hours.
F Skip it.
Students who did this
Real students, in their own words, on the exact tools in this guide. Tap to play.
Lakshmi · Passed Step 1 An honest review of The FA Guide
Roshni · Passed Step 1 An honest review of The FA Guide
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4
Tier list 4 of 6 Micro resources
9 resources, 6 tiers. Tap any name to open it.
S
Sketchy Micro
A
Mehlman micro
B
Dirty Medicine micro First Aid micro + FA Guide
C
Boards & Beyond Pixorize AJmonics micro
D
Ninja Nerd micro
F
Kaplan
S
The top Sketchy Micro
S For micro especially, nothing else comes close . About 85 bugs in 6 days, around 20 a day: watch, recall out loud, re-watch the gaps, read the PDF, then that day's MCQs the same night.
"Just doing the Sketchy PDF and not watching the videos. That is the stupidest thing that students ever do, or just doing the First Aid for Microbiology and not using Sketchy."
sketchy.com ↗ · Micro by system →
↓
Top to bottom The rest of the micro list, and why
Free playlist A Mehlman · Microbiology
Why: short, dense and free, and he teaches micro the way the examiner asks it. For Step 3, his micro and pharm playlists are the ones I use, with First Aid open at the same time.
▶ Mehlman · Microbiology playlist Free
Free playlist B Dirty Medicine · Microbiology
Why: the one to open when a single bug won't click.
▶ Dirty Medicine · Microbiology Playlist
Same night as Sketchy B First Aid micro pages + the FA Guide micro MCQs
Why: same-night MCQs for each Sketchy day, pp. 132–173. Read TB, COVID, HIV, Bunyaviruses and malaria from First Aid instead of Sketchy. B because Sketchy does the learning; this is where you test it.
MCQ Micro MCQs on the Vault Run the pages you covered, the same night
Micro, as cards The FA Foundation Anki micro deck: 271 cards, page by page off First Aid. Opens straight into the deck.
Open the micro deck →
Course C Boards & Beyond
Why: good teaching in places, but not anchored to First Aid, and Sketchy already fills the micro slot. boardsbeyond.com ↗
Mnemonics C Pixorize
Why: the picture mnemonics are good in places, but the slot is already filled: Sketchy does this job for micro. pixorize.com ↗
Free playlist C AJmonics · Microbiology
Why: free, but Sketchy already does this job better.
▶ AJmonics · Microbiology Playlist
Long-form D Ninja Nerd · Microbiology
Why: long videos. For micro, that's a bad trade for your hours when Sketchy covers a bug in minutes.
▶ Ninja Nerd · Microbiology Playlist
Course F Kaplan
Why: the same reason it's F on the Step 1 list . Long, and not built around First Aid.
The micro NBMEs actually asked The NBME Booster micro deck: 348 cards from NBME 20 to 34 and the Free 120. Revise it before your next form.
Open micro Booster →
The top of every list, on a schedule
Want a day-by-day schedule that tells you exactly what to study next? The Vault builds it around your exam date.
Build my schedule on usmlevault.com/schedule →
The top of every list, already in one place.
The First Aid Guide , both Anki decks ( FA Foundation and NBME Booster ), the free PDFs and your schedule . Renal is free.
Open usmlevault.com →
usmlevault.com/schedule · free for your first 3 days
Read next
Sketchy Micro in 6 days — about 20 bugs a day.
Micro by system — the bugs inside each system.
All of antibiotics in 90 minutes — the drugs that kill them.
The pharmacology tier list — the same logic, for drugs.
USMLE Vault · The USMLE Micro Resources Tier List · Created 2026-10-26
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## Source

USMLE Vault — https://usmlevault.com
Author: Dr. Marish Asudani

Updated: 2026-10-26